After 27 years in power, 78-year-old Guelleh wins Djibouti’s presidential poll for sixth term

Ismail Omar Guelleh has won Djibouti’s presidential election with 97.8 percent of the vote, securing a sixth term in office, according to preliminary results released by the interior ministry.

His only challenger, Mohamed Farah Samatar, received 2.19 percent in a poll boycotted by most opposition parties.

Guelleh, 78, has been in power for 27 years. He had previously indicated he would step down but ran again after a constitutional amendment in November removed the upper age limit of 75 for presidential candidates, according to BBC.

His campaign highlighted his record of maintaining stability in Djibouti, while other countries in the region and the Middle East faced conflict.

Situated on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the country is a gateway to the Suez Canal, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, and hosts military bases belonging to United States military, China, France, Italy and Japan.

Guelleh is only the country’s second president since independence from France in 1977.

Opposition leaders, including Dahir Ahmed Farah, have boycotted elections since 2016, saying there is no space for free political activity.

Guelleh celebrated the result at home, describing it as a victory for the entire nation. Officials reported that more than 80 percent of registered voters cast ballots in Friday’s election.

Samatar, whose small party holds no parliamentary seats, has not yet commented.

The preliminary results must still be validated by judges on the Constitutional Council before Guelleh can be sworn in for another five-year term. He won the 2021 election by a similar margin.

In 2010, parliament removed term limits and shortened presidential mandates from six to five years. It also set the age limit of 75 for candidates — a restriction reversed last November, enabling Guelleh to run again.

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